Statement on the earthquake by Syrian leader Assad

After the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake disaster that occurred in Turkey last week also affected Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that more resources were needed than the state had to combat the impact of the earthquake and thanked countries who supported Syria after the earthquake.

Among the countries Assad thanked in his televised statement were countries he described as “my Arab brothers and friends.”

International isolation on Assad is believed to have eased as most Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, which in the past funded anti-government opposition armed forces in Syria, sent aid to Syria after the earthquake.

While the Syrian government has announced the death toll as a result of the earthquakes in the region under its administration at 1,414, more than 4,000 people are said to have lost their lives in the northwestern region, which is under the control of the opposition forces.

Explaining that approximately 9 million Syrians were affected by the earthquake, the United Nations appealed for $400 million worth of aid to meet urgent humanitarian needs. (Reuters)